Review: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN at Montalbán Theatre

Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern plays at the historic Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood through December 21st.  A sheer delight, this immersive ode to  the classic role-playing game is a thousand times better than you might think it has any chance of being.  Created by David Carpenter, Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is masterfully produced and directed with flair and sensitivity by Michael Fell.  It has an endlessly charming and endearing cast, with an innovative and immersive format that makes it feel like a great party.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is an improv comedy extravaganza, with all kinds of madcap silliness on display, from impassioned surgery on a feather boa beard to a naughty-looking pileup of 3 humans called “the triple Heimlich.”  Conner Marx is a superb dungeon master and host, who manages to paint all kinds of vivid scenarios with his words, with a diabolical sense of mischief and humor, and a powerfully charismatic voice and stage presence.  There are adventures with evil apprentices, master wizards, and dangerous monsters - and jokes about affiliate links, Jesus, health insurance, washboard abs, Oscar speeches, Ozempic, and all kinds of pop culture references, most of which I missed.

Madelyn Murphy is the reigning star of the show, with her megawatt charisma, over-the-top narcissism, ebullient physicality, and off-the-cuff brilliant puns.  But all the Dungeons & Dragons performers are in fact deeply and surprisingly excellent, astonishingly quick on their feet but also emotionally and physically invested in every second.  Diego F Salinas brings a sweet, playful, hopeful energy to the group, a certain kind of grounded truthfulness and rich earnestness that help the keep the show from feeling too glib or cynical.  Neil Newbon is hilarious, with great physical reactions and a quirky, off-kilter, superb delivery that makes every line land. RJ Christian seems under-used, but their sparkling stage presence and uproarious facial reactions lend depth and humor to the show.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is immersive and interactive, with frequent audience participation in the form of voting or manic clicking on phones, plus shoutouts and actual adventurers brought on stage from the audience for all kinds of games, narrative reading, and silliness.  There is a delightful, light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek quality about the whole show.  The set by K.C. McGeorge is immersive, charming, and whimsical, capturing the fanciful mood of beloved fantasy storytelling - Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, as well as the iconic tabletop role-playing game.  The technical craft here is superlative, visual storytelling at its finest, with moody and magical lighting by Mike Wood and enchanting projections by Derek Christiansen and Ruby O’Brien.  .

Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern captures the quintessence of sweet, middle-school-era goofiness that might remind you of your favorite Renaissance fair trip or rewatching The Princess Bride with a buttery side of popcorn.  Although there is occasional suggestiveness and a frightening moment here or there, Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is also impressively four quadrant, a fun-loving, crowd-pleasing, wildly entertaining show for groups of friends, families, couples, and kids.  It is not necessary to be at all familiar with the game, although there are lots of special treats for fans.  My little boy, although he is not familiar with the game of Dungeons & Dragons, was completely captivated by every second of the show.

Photos by Andre Chung

Los Angeles Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Hollywood Bowl)

9.3% of votes

2. ORIGINALS (The Gardenia Club)

8.4% of votes

3. HAIR (Conundrum Theatre)

4.6% of votes

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